In the Middle East, JRS offers a range of informal and access to formal education to refugees and displaced people. Our projects in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey all have educational elements ranging from remedial support, technical and language courses to intensive training programmes which equip refugees with professional skills.

For JRS worldwide, education is considered an important protection tool - especially for the most vulnerable. Through informal education, JRS is able to assist in developing communities that are often scattered amongst urban centres, with few chances to gather together and share their lives.

Education is considered one of the four pillars of humanitarian assistance, along with food, healthcare and shelter.

Video: Lebanon, space to learnBeirut, 23 June 2014 – How can a country educate every child when its population has expanded by 25% in less than four years? To address the needs of Syrian refugee students, some Lebanese schools have two shifts to double their capacity. Others have to turn people away. In communities around the country, from the Bekaa Valley to the Mediterranean coast, the Jesuit Refugee Service is creating schools for Syrian children in areas where educational opportunities weren't previously available.Read More >>>

Jordan: online education, harnessing the skills of refugeesAmman, 31 October 2013 – As the Syrian war moves into its thirtieth month, with no end in sight, the response by Jesuit Refugee Service has continued to evolve, from emergency assistance to a strengthening of the long-term service provision. The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is now at 500,000 and preparing refugee communities for the future has become a priority.Read More >>>

Jordan: accompanying forgotten refugees in JordanBeirut, 25 April 2013 - Jordan has fast become a cross-roads for refugees from across the region as older conflicts and newer ones cause people to flee in search of safety and stability. In the sprawling capital city of Amman there are people from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Syria, most of whom are faced with many difficulties with integration and survival on a daily basis.

Syria: two years of conflict threaten children's education and well-beingBeirut, Rome, Washington DC, 15 March 2013 – As the conflict in Syria enters its third year, the protection and well-being of Syrian children continue to be gravely compromised. Despite the best efforts of local and international organisations, the almost total collapse of critical infrastructure is hindering the delivery of key services. The present situation is exacerbated by the lack of sufficient funding for humanitarian assistance. The Jesuit Refugee Service urges the international community to ensure emergency support reaches the families and children most in need.Read More >>>

Jordan: changing with the times, JRS adapts to the community's needsAmman, 1 March 2013 – Abu Hassan has been the director of the informal education project for nearly five years. In its early years, the school in Ashrafiyeh catered only to Iraqi refugees. But as Jordan hosts more refugees, the JRS school has adapted to the changing situation.Read More >>>

Jordan: JRS country director to visit U.S. universities and parishesAmman, 12 February 2013 – Living and working in Jordan as Country Director for Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Colin Gilbert’s environs are a far cry from his hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. Mr. Gilbert returns to the U.S. from March 10 to April 10 to share his experiences, particularly in light of the Syrian crisis, at an array of Jesuit universities, high schools and parishes.Read More >>>

Lebanon: language barriers prevent Syrian children from attending schoolBeirut, 30 January 2013 – Their lonely-looking house is perched on a hillside, with nothing behind it except rocks and scrubby bushes. It is one of the last inhabited areas before no-man's land, between the main Lebanon - Syria border crossing. To the left of their house an enormous cement wall demarcates the start of a militarised border zone.Read More >>>

Jordan: accompaniment comes first for refugeesAmman, 30 October 2012 – Situated in a quiet neighbour on top of a hill, it would be easy to confuse Ashrafiyeh as just another school in east Amman. But few of the students share a common language, or religious and cultural traditions. Most have been forced to flee conflict and survive on the margins of society. They need to be supported and kept engaged. This is the approach taken by teachers in the JRS school in Jordan.Read More >>>

Jordan: without accompaniment, there is no real serviceAmman, 28 May 2012 – The first day I volunteered with Jesuit Refugee Service I rode home on the bus from the informal education project with the country director, Colin Gilbert. We discussed the hardships facing urban refugees and all the JRS projects.Read More >>>